India Orders Civil Defense Drills as Potential Clash With Pakistan Looms

India’s government has ordered officials to carry out civil defense drills in much of the country on Wednesday as it prepares for a potential military conflict with Pakistan, its neighbor and archrival.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed countries, which have fought several wars, have escalated since April 22, when gunmen killed 26 people in the India-controlled part of the Kashmir region, which both countries claim. India accuses Pakistan of being involved in the terror attack, which Pakistan denies.

India has been making a case for carrying out military strikes on what it calls havens for terrorists in Pakistan. Pakistan has promised to respond in kind to any military action by India.

In recent days, exchanges of small-arms fire have broken out along the countries’ border, and a flurry of activity in New Delhi has suggested that an Indian strike could be imminent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met repeatedly with his military leaders, and his officials have continued to talk in public about taking action against Pakistan.

In a letter sent on Monday to all of the country’s states and territories, India’s home ministry ordered that drills be carried out to assess the public’s readiness for conflict. In 244 districts — identified as civil defense districts because they are near the border or the coast, or because of other perceived vulnerabilities — all villages will be required to conduct drills, the letter said.

The letter, a copy of which was seen by The New York Times, said the drills should include testing air raid sirens and instructing civilians in how to navigate blackouts and carry out evacuations.

Similar drills have already been conducted near the border in recent days, particularly in Kashmir, where videos have showed schoolchildren being led through duck-and-cover drills and people cleaning bunkers meant to be used during airstrikes.